One night in March 2019, my brother Iain, hit rock bottom. He had been addicted to alcohol for most of his adult life, he was  57. I arrived at his friend's home in the evening focused only on getting him help. I wasn't going to leave until we had a new direction. I knew instinctively this was Divine Intervention and the turning point he needed.

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He was admitted to a detox centre that same night and so began his road to recovery. A few months later he was accepted into the treatment program at Renascent Centre. At the same time, I began group counselling in the Family Sessions support program, so essentially we went through rehab together.

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The months that began with Iain's recovery and sobriety were very emotional for me as all that I had been holding in for many years, came exploding to the surface like a bubbling geyser. I cried for days at a time without knowing why.  It caught me off guard as I didn't realize I was holding onto so much unexpressed emotion. The intensity I felt was  a mix of  immense relief,  sorrow, guilt, sadness, grief, shame and anger. Slowly as I began to understand what I had experienced as a family member inside the feelings of helplessness, was normal. I had experienced what many family members feel without knowing how to express it. Outside of 12-step programs, it isn't common for people to share how they are feeling, because often they don't even know.

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That year, 2019, I had created the Self Love Journal Prompts card deck and they were overseas being printed. In 2021 (after covid lockdowns and delays) I received my first shipment. When I began the project of making the cards I didn't know about Renascent and Iain's recovery was not yet a possibility. So when my cards became available, it was a natural step for me to donate a few sets of cards to Renascent to thank them for the support Iain and I received. We are both so grateful for the treatment programs they offer.

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It is my hope that the cards be used as a supportive journaling tool for those on their path to recovery and learning to love themselves.

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You can read about my story as it appeared in the Renascent Alumni newsletter and...find out what happened with Iain. 

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https://renascent.ca/a-path-of-family-recovery-my-brothers-journey-with-renascent/